The STS-119 crew preps for their EVA later today and we ponder the question:  why are so many people bored with space travel today?

Disco Dave’s Blog post – http://blogs.discovery.com/space_disco/2009/03/of-rockets-launches-bats-and-boredom.html


  1. Randy Nacol says:
    March 19, 2009 at 4:33 am

    Hi Guys the information about space and the love both of you guys have for the space program is truly shown by this audio blog. Cariann you are so very right to get up on that soap box and preach to the creatures who are so into demonizing and degrading the Space Program. Go Girl Go

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  2. StarbucksDiva says:
    March 19, 2009 at 1:37 pm

    I can just picture Cariann’s hands moving 100mph while talking and Ben sitting there kicked back looking at her like *uh huh, right, ok* just agreeing with her…LOL

    You both are so right about this being the end.. And when you have people that don’t take the time to sit and actually “watch” like Ben says the Shuttle perform RPM or something simple as CanadaArm2 moving to meet with the arm of the Shuttle to transfer something. By the time people actually take time to pay attention to what is going on it will be too late and all they will have is “twitter memories” of when Shuttle Discovery launched. Or only remember reading about a blog with the Shuttle Bat instead of actually taking the time out of their so called “busy day” to enjoy and really grasp what the Shuttle Program has done and will continue to complete for us over the next few years. Great soap box Cariann!!…About time someone other than Ben had it..Great Topic!

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  3. StarbucksDiva says:
    March 19, 2009 at 1:59 pm

    Ok, since I can’t fix what I already typed. I must add after sitting here listening and talking this podcast over in chat with other regulars in the room. I realized that I was one of those that Cariann mentioned who never took the time to full grasp our space program. And now at 36yrs old all I have are just memories of The Challenger and Columbia disasters not memories or knowledge of “WHY” it happened because I (until 3-4yrs ago) never took the time to say “wow, look what our Shuttle program is doing for us” and learn more about why we go up into space, why we bring, experiments up in space, why we are doing what we are doing with the Shuttle Program. And come a year or two from now If I dont full embrace this program all I will have is memories. Which is why I love SVC is because the people that come here and you both have helped us “noobers” full understand and teach us why it is so important!. And like Cariann said and I was talking to Jeph a moment ago. I don’t mind answering questions for the new people who dont know or want to know because I dont want them to be like me someday or even passed the age of 36 and “not know”…Ok, WOW!!..long winded!!

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  4. usko says:
    March 19, 2009 at 4:33 pm

    I think the Shuttle Orion 5 year gap may make human spaceflight a little bit more interesting at least in the US once NASA goes back to space. I hope NASA can work out their landing/launch windows in a way that the Moon landings happen in prime-time. And there better be an SVC logo on that nation-wide stream!!

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    • LDKing1313 says:
      March 22, 2009 at 12:14 am

      You can thank Armstrong and Aldrin for walking on the moon in prime time. NASA had planned for the astronauts to leave Eagle at 2:02 AM EDT July 21 after resting. However, Armstrong and Aldrin could not sleep and decided to walk on the moon hours earlier.

      Reply
  5. KaiYves says:
    March 20, 2009 at 12:27 am

    I cannot say HOW much I agree with you guys. I’m probably a lot younger than most people here (Still in High School), but I really try as hard as I can to get people interested in space exploration.

    I’ve found that most people do have an interest somewhere deep down and if you can just catch on to it, they really will care. This is just in my limited experience, but I’ve found that one of the best ways to break the ice with adult friends of my family is asking them to tell me where they were when Apollo 11 landed on the moon. (This one lady at my uncle’s church was actually born on July 20th! Best. Birthday. Gift. Ever.)

    My family and I always come together in front of the computer to watch shuttle launches, this most recent one on your website. My father tells me it brings back HIS Apollo memories. (He had spaghetti that night.)

    On the Marvel Comics Message Boards, I have created threads for both Astronomy and Human Spaceflight. Both are updated daily by myself and others and commented on almost as much. The former has had 244 views and is at 25 pages, the later 151 views and 16 pages.

    I have also written fanfiction featuring the space program in a positive light that has been well-received by these same people. They are not explicitly space fans in the slightest, unless reading comics about the Silver Surfer counts. Yet I still got these reactions from them.

    I stood by a window on the night of last February’s lunar eclipse and pointed it out to hotel patrons. They looked, they asked questions, they enjoyed it. Some even took photographs or called family about it. They might normally have just walked right by the window. But they stopped because I was there. They stopped because somebody pointed it out, and I really feel that’s all people need to ignite that little spark of interest buried deep down inside of them. Somebody has to be there. Somebody has to stand by the window, somebody has to create the threads, somebody has to write the fanfiction, somebody has to record the vidcasts.

    Somebody has to point the way.

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